JNU row: Delhi government mulls legal action against news channels

New Delhi: The Delhi government is likely to take legal action against three news channels that allegedly ran doctored videos of the JNU controversy, sources said on Monday.

According to the government sources, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government is contemplating legal action against three news channels that showed the alleged doctored videos of the February 9 incident at the Jawaharlal Nehru University where “anti-India” slogans were reportedly raised.

The move comes after a magistrate report submitted to the Delhi government on March 2 said that "no direct link" has been found between JNU Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumar and the anti-India sloganeering on at the February 9 campus event.

The DM's report said that seven videos related to JNU incident were sent to Truth Labs, Hyderabad, of which three were found to be doctored. "In those doctored versions, video has been edited and voices added," the report said.

The state government ordered a magisterial probe into the matter on February 13. The report added that the role of Umar Khalid, another JNU student accused of raising anti-India slogans, needs to be further investigated.

On February 9, a cultural event was organised at the JNU to commemorate the third anniversary of the execution of parliament terror attack convict Afzal Guru. During the event, anti-India slogans were allegedly raised, following which JNU students leader Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested by Delhi Police on February 12 on charges of sedition.

Kanhaiya Kumar was granted interim bail for six months by the Delhi High Court on Wednesday.